I've just finished an article that may be of interest. It deals with the children of the "Greatest generation", American and Allied, telling their parents' stories and experiences on websites and in books, and how to go about doing the same yourself. Not so much heroic stuff, but more how the war impacted not only those who served, but their families as well, very often for many years afterward. Also, stories about eveyday service life.
I visited a couple of the web sites and found all kinds of links and photos. The article is in the May bulletin of the AARP, if you can get hold of one. Some of the web sites and books:

www.aarp.org/bulletin (inetractive WWII memorial photo gallery)

www.loc.gov/vets (The Veteran's History Project at the Library of Congress)

htttp://members.aol.com/dadswar (links to WWII stories)

www.fatherswar.org (resources for researching WWII histories)

BOOKS
"Finding Your Father's War", Jonathan Gawne, Casermate Publishers (July, 2005)

"My Father's War", Julia Collins, Four Walls Eight Windows (2003)

"Our Father's War; Growing Up In The Shadow Of The Greatest Generation", Tom Mathews, Broadway (May, 2005)

"Our Mother's War: American Women At Home And At The Front During World War II", Emily Yellin, Free Press (2004)

. "The Souvenir: A Daughter Discovers Her Father's War", Louise Steinman, Plume (2002)

Art

My parents were too young to have fought, and my grandparents too old, but my maternal grandfather (partialy disabled) was a Red Cross first aider assisting the Air Raid wardens in care centres set up for the victims of air raids, and my paternal grandfather was in the Home Guard and also a civil engineer in a reserved occupation - he worked on some of the drawings for the Mulberry Harbours used at Normandy.

One thing that I have noticed in the VE Day programmes on the radio and TV is that not only the armed services are being remembered, but also those who supported them; either in war work, or looking after the needs of the families etc. I salute all of these people, as without them the troops in the field couldn't have done their jobs so well.

Art
Thanks to all of you that make it possible for others to remember those that went to war and those that stayed and supported them. I'm third generation myself. My Grandfather went to WW2, My father in Korea, as did my uncles, my brothers and I did " my older brother and I served in Viet Nam, my younger one in DS1. And one of my daughters served on a missle cruiser in the initial attack on Afganistan.
Thanks to all of you
Jerry

Jerry;
I appreciate your comments, but I may have inadvertantly misled you, and maybe others. I did not write the article. Perhaps I should have said "Finished reading". The article was done by AARP from interviews with several people who are publishing their parents', grandparents, etc. stories. You should check out the http://members.aol.com/dadswar site. It sounds like you might have a lot to offer and this site tells you how to get everything together, from research to finished product. Once again, I apologize to you and others about any misunderstanding regarding the author(s) of the article.

Art

Art
I did understand. Truly I did. And whether you know it or not you are a part of them telling their stories. You helped make us aware of the article and the web sites. It is not the museum currators job to create the artifacts in the museum, simply to gather them ,preserve them and pass on the knowledge.
So one more time.
Thank you Art
Jerry

My dad caught the tail end of war,was in the Royal Dragoons driving the mk2 Daimlers.My uncle was on the Warspite for D-Day and Walcheren.My other uncle was at Singapore when it fell and spent the rest of the war building the infamous death railway.My dads younger brother was in Korea.And both my grandfathers were in the Royal Horse Artillary in ww1.We owe a great debt to these men.If anyone would like to find out more about Southeast Asia in WW2 try this www.fepow-community.org.uk lots of info on what allied serviceman and civilians went through.

My father enlisted on his 18th birthday in June 1944, and served in the Royal Marines. Fortunately, the war in Europe was over before his 19th birthday, so all he did was Occupation duties.

My grandfather served in the Canadian Railway Troops in the Great War and was seriously wounded in October 1918. In that, he was luckier than my great uncle (killed 3rd Ypres) and another great uncle who suffered severe shell shock (PTSD).

Various uncles and great uncles fought in Greece and Burma.

My girlfriends father was in the LAA and fought in France 1940, Greece and Crete 1941 and the Western Desert and Italy until the end of the war. Managed to get him to start writing his memoirs a few years ago.

The husband of a friend of my mother's served in Normandy and was seriously wounded at Hill 112. His comrades were very surprised to see him at the D-Day 40th anniversary as they all thought he'd been killed.

Got told at my 20th high school reunion I wasn't on the list because I'd been killed in Viet Nam, boy was I surprised. Nobody told me.
Jerry

Could never get my father to talk about his experiences in Korea, even when looking at pictures and slides. Then lo and behold, after he retired from the army, doesn't he up and write a book about it!!! Go figure.

I'm really glad to see all the responses. I hope you can use the info to share these stories and experiences with others. Who knows, maybe there are a few more books out there yet to be written.

Art

All I know about my grandfather was that he was caught in a mustard gas attack in WWI, without a gas mask. He was medically discharged and in my father’s words: “walked like an old man and leaned heavily on his cane, especially when caught by a coughing fit. He died young!”

My Dad lied about his age and served in the RN from 1940 (He was 15) until he was demobbed in 1946. He served exclusively on Destroyers and MTBs, as an Oerlikon Gunner. He took part in the North Atlantic- and Arctic Convoys.

One day while I was building a model, my dad stopped, looked at the model and correctly identified it, not only that, he showed me one or two flaws in the model. Amazed, I asked how he knew this? His answer: “On MTBs we shot down a bunch of them, they’re useless down low!”

Except for finding out that his best friend was killed right next to him by a shell splinter (this slipped out one night), this is all my father ever disclosed about his war experiences to any of us, including my mother. All he every said was it was too personal and painful.

My father in law joined up late in WW1 by faking his birth certificate, but got caught out and sent to an Army school (we still have his school certificate), he then served as a gunner in the RHA; then in 1938 he changed it the other way and joined the RAF. Served through the North African campaign and came home in 1942. He was a photographer, and served with several units including 2PRU and a 'special duties unit', details of which don't appear on his service record. What this unit was or did is still unknown to us as he sadly passed away 30 years ago.

My dad came from southern Ireland he volounteered for the R.A.F. ended up in bomber command rear gunner on Lanc;s, wounded in the leg and grounded went into ground crew . He used to tell me stories of the flights coming back some shot to hell, he had a great respect for the B17 he wondered how they got some of them home the damage they recieved, He served in quite a few air bases Hornchurch where he met my Mum Ive got a photo of them outside the good intent pub near the base its still there and I live a cople of hundred yard from it . Dad finished his service in Germany was demobed and joined the Railways but was laid off . we lived in a single room four of us no toilet no bath no kitchen a cooker on the landing outside, a land fit for heroes, down our street there was only four houses left. I think my Dad was very bitter about how they were treated.

Do you know what unit drader? I had a Great-Grandfather who was a railroad engineer in the Canadian Army. I have his medals, the medal for "Great War for Civilization", and from the Brotherhood of Railroad engineers for his participation in the war.

His medal says he was with the 58th Canadian Infantry, and the picture we have of him in uniform shows him to have General Service Corps badges on.

My Dad ended the war flying fighters with the USAAF.
Origionally trained for single seat pursuit planes, the AF retrained him to fly troop carriers with the 9th AF
He was in N.Africa for a time and participated in Operation Dragoon...the invasion of south France.
He transfered in late 44 to the 8th AF and flew Mustangs with the 352nd FG, 487th FS commonly known as the Blue Nosed Bastards of Bodney
C.

I managed to gets his service record from the Canadian archives. They were very, very helpful and it only cost me a few pounds in photocopying.

Off the top of my head, I think it was 9th CRT, he was previously with the Canadian Pioneer Battalion, though I think he originally enlisted in a mounted infantry unit.

By a strange coincidence he spent some time at Purfleet docks and was in hospital in Colchester, both in Essex where I now live. After the war he worked for Pontypridd Rugby Club, and guess where I was a student?....

My Father joined in 1943,and went to Scott field to learn Aircraft radio.Then he was assigned to the 15th AirForce,and was a radio operator/nose gunner on a B-24.
His crew consisted of brothers from Pennsylvania,and twin brothers from Texas.
The crew was stationed in Giulia Italy,from January 1944 until July 1944.
The crew never had anyone killed or even wounded.The unit (459th BG) visited Ploesti 3 times.
Their plane "little Butch" surviived 50 missions,then they all went home.

Lets see, I have a medal of a relative who retired from the British Army after 20 years in 1864. ( no typo there!)

My Great-Grandfather was in WWI

On My Fathers side:

Grandpa was a Seabee, participated in the liberation of the Phillipines. I've got a bunch of pictures of him in the Phillipines.

Great Uncle Paul was a B-25 Pilot in the Med. during WWII, Shot down during a raid to blow a bridge in Italy, to prevent these guys called the SS from bringing up reinforcements. Taken Prisoner, jumped overboard from the ship during a storm and escaped. Have a picture of his B-25 taken in the air from another B-25.

Great Uncle Red was in the Army.

Great Uncle Clarence was an advance scout for Patton in Europe. He wouldn't talk about what he did, because he wast told that it was classified, and he wouldn't say anything else about it until he was told otherwise.

My uncle was a plane captain (brown shirt) on the USS Bonne Homme Richard (CV-31) during Nam. One of his cruises was there.

My dad was rejected for service in 'Nam for two reasons, Married with Kid, and Protected Occupation (Police Officer). He was part of the '68 National Convention Riots, His department was called in to help out the Chicago PD. He claims to have whacked Gaby Hoffman upside the head :-) .

My Mother's Dad, my other Grandpa was with The Flying Tigers and Claire Lee Chenault. He wasn't a Pilot, he was a ground crewman. He used to patch bullet holes in the P-40's with chewing gum.

My dad served with the Infantry on Saipan and Okinawa. He was with a 60mm mortar squad until they ran out of ammo, he then became pure Infantry. Won't talk to much about it. He won the Bronze Star for Valor. After war he went to college and became a Doctor rejoining the Army in mid -50's He would only wear his CIB, never his other decorations. The only funny story...he groused for years saying he was "cheated out" of his purple heart. Come to find out he was hit by a piece of shrapnel in his big toe. It left a bruise. I fought in the "cold war " of the late 70's. Served in a tank battalion. I'm proud to say we won that one too. The Russians never crossed the border and eventually east Germany was reunited wit the rest.